ABHandmade Report post Posted June 1, 2019 Completed coloring. This is my second attempt to portray water. I do not know how good or bad I managed it ... Carving, modeling, embossing. Spirit dyes, acrylic paints.Size 11 x 8 inches. View before coloring Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rbarleatherworks Report post Posted June 1, 2019 That's just amazing Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLSleather Report post Posted June 1, 2019 Your work always looks good, Boss. In THIS case, I give ya the most "points" for the crisp distinction in the frog, the subtle color distinction in the flower, and the shift in focus from the frog & flower to the pads and water. Still, the pads and water also look quite good (love the perspective!), I just think that other features of your work have occluded the water a bit. Since it's "background", that's absolutely appropriate here. Now, I suspect you KNEW that's what I would say ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ABHandmade Report post Posted June 1, 2019 1 hour ago, Rbarleatherworks said: That's just amazing Thank you for compliment! 29 minutes ago, JLSleather said: Your work always looks good, Boss. In THIS case, I give ya the most "points" for the crisp distinction in the frog, the subtle color distinction in the flower, and the shift in focus from the frog & flower to the pads and water. Still, the pads and water also look quite good (love the perspective!), I just think that other features of your work have occluded the water a bit. Since it's "background", that's absolutely appropriate here. Now, I suspect you KNEW that's what I would say ... Thank you, Sir! I would like to express my gratitude to you and Mike ( @mikesc ) for the fact that you contributed to the fact that I began to master the work with the airbrush. Water and leaves in this work are my first experience of using this wonderful tool. I hope that in time I will be able to use it at least part as well as you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLSleather Report post Posted June 1, 2019 35 minutes ago, ABHandmade said: I hope that in time I will be able to use it at least part as well as you. I'm gonna say that an educated guess for when you are better with color than I am... would be....... [ drum roll ] about half an hour ago Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted June 2, 2019 Really great piece of work, should say really great piece of art! Tom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ABHandmade Report post Posted June 2, 2019 (edited) @JLSleather Thanks, Jeff, but as far as airbrush skills are concerned, I remain unconvinced. 6 hours ago, Northmount said: Really great piece of work, should say really great piece of art! Tom Thank you, Tom! But it seems that I am moving in the wrong direction. The more I try to achieve realism, the less people love my work The problem is that I am more attracted to realism than ornament. The more valuable for me are those who support me Edited June 2, 2019 by ABHandmade Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RockyAussie Report post Posted June 2, 2019 Faaannntastic. I think that the best work will always come from what you like doing best. I love the frog a lot. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stewart Report post Posted June 2, 2019 That is outstanding tooling and painting.the foreground dictates the color of water and that's like chasing the wind. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bermudahwin Report post Posted June 2, 2019 48 minutes ago, ABHandmade said: But it seems that I am moving in the wrong direction. The more I try to achieve realism, the less people love my work Why would you say this? Your work remains very good indeed, each person is their own harshest critic, seeing the tiniest, often immaterial flaws as huge issues. You are learning, from your own admission, and there are many that consider themselves veteran rather than novice that will look at your work and have great takeaways from it. On a scrap, use PVA as a water highlight, and see if you like the effect. It lifts the ripples and wave crests in water, you may want to thin it, which is why scrap is best to practice. H Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLSleather Report post Posted June 2, 2019 3 hours ago, ABHandmade said: The more I try to achieve realism, the less people love my work The problem is that I am more attracted to realism than ornament. WHAT ?@! I LOVE this, personally. I'm in for realism, too... but no doubt you are already aware that you see features and differences that some others don't. Many will see this and love it, but not really know what made it different from some others with similar subject matter. They literally don't know what they're seeing. Part of your "realism" that I really find inspiring is your ability to alter the focus between what is the "subject" and what is the "background" (in quotes because maybe those are words familiar). I'm not going to pretend to instruct YOU, but for those others here who don't know what I'm talking about.... the way you've used crisp detail in the amphibian and the "main" plant, and deliberately allowed the less prominent features to be less detailed, less "in focus". This is not a failure to clearly define the "background".. it's a deliberate and very well done PLAN to showcase a specific object. Commendable. Noteworthy. Inspiring. I don't know who you feel "loves your work less", but I'm in the camp that loves this. I used to do insanely detailed stuff (that one of the steam ship on the river was a project... what with all the guy wires 'n' such) but got away a bit because 1) people generally weren't willing to pay what that warranted, and 2) I didn't much like some of the people I was meeting. But your work generally reminds me of why I like doing stuff in leather in the first place. Now, that was certainly long, but I just wanted to be clear that nothing i said (uh.. ever actually) should be taken as saying there's anything about your work I don't like. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rockoboy Report post Posted June 2, 2019 22 minutes ago, JLSleather said: there's anything about your work I don't like. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ABHandmade Report post Posted June 2, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, RockyAussie said: Faaannntastic. I think that the best work will always come from what you like doing best. I love the frog a lot. Thank you! I really like what I do, I like to learn, to get some new skills. But to be a judge of own work is very difficult. The only way to get an objective assessment is to show the work to others and hear their opinion. Moreover, this opinion does not necessarily have to be positive. Criticism is no less important than praise. Worst of all, when the work does not cause at all any reaction from others This suggests that the chosen direction is wrong. Therefore, I am very grateful for the feedback on my work! 4 hours ago, Stewart said: That is outstanding tooling and painting.the foreground dictates the color of water and that's like chasing the wind. Thank you, Stewart! @hwinbermuda Thank you, Harry! I used PVA in my previous work — to imitate water droplets falling from a tiger's whisker. The effect is not bad, but the surface tension force was insufficient to form a drop-shaped form. Now I have found acryl gel gloss, which has a much thicker consistency and is even more transparent on drying than PVA. Perhaps I will try to use it in some work to simulate splashes. @JLSleather Jeff, I really appreciate your opinion and are incredibly grateful for your support! @Rockoboy Brian, thank you! Edited June 2, 2019 by ABHandmade Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
